Everyone loves a good food controversy, but the biggest throwdown might be the
most unexpected one: What's the right way to cook dried beans? And where exactly does
your slow cooker fit into this whole thing? At the center of the disagreement is the question of whether or not beans
should be soaked before cooking. Russ Parsons, writing for the Los Angeles
Times in his provocatively titled article, "Don't Soak Your Dried Beans! Now Even the
Cool Kids Agree," obviously takes a hard stance against the soak. On the other side of
the argument is recipe developer Miriam Hahn, and she cites two reasons for
soaking the beans, saying: Parsons thinks differently, arguing: What's a home cook to do with this
apparently conflicting advice? Getting to an answer means digging a bit deeper into
the science, and that starts with lectins. Lectins are proteins that bind to carbohydrates,
and raw legumes and whole grains have very high levels of lectins. Sometimes our
bodies have difficulty breaking down these proteins effectively, which can cause
mild to severe gastrointestinal distress. While lectins may sound like something
we should just avoid altogether, let us offer a more nuanced understanding of them.
The common flour binder gluten is a lectin, and it's certainly a substance some people
must carefully consume or avoid altogether. Phytohaemagglutinin, or PHA, is the lectin
that's present in high levels in raw beans, among other things. And while these two lectins
can produce an inflammatory immune response, research suggests that lectins have health
benefits as well, perhaps even cancer-fighting properties, for people who can tolerate them.
And foods naturally high in lectins often have lots of beneficial things in them, like
vitamin B, healthy fats, fiber, and protein. The key for the lectin-rich foods that are good for us is safely processing
them by cooking, sprouting, or fermenting the foods to reduce the lectin
content to a level that's safe for consumption. So circling back to the debate, our guts
certainly need help breaking down lectins, and there are a few things that can do
so effectively. It turns out that soaking beans and boiling them for at least
10 minutes, or cooking them on high heat longer without soaking are both
good ways to give our bellies a break. What absolutely doesn't work is cooking them
at low heat, like you would in a slow-cooker, because it won't actually remove all the lectins.
Slow cookers on the low setting generally only reach around 190 degrees Fahrenheit, which is
just not hot enough to get the job done. And the difference in lectin content between raw
kidney beans and properly cooked ones is huge. Raw kidney beans contain between 20,000 and 70,000
units of lectin, while safely cooked kidney beans contain between 200 and 400 lectin units. Boiling
the beans eliminates the majority of the lectins, and slow cookers just don't get hot enough
to make raw beans safe for consumption. Rather than using a slow cooker, you can
certainly try a delicious stovetop recipe for spicy pinto beans, but if you have a reason
— and there are lots of good ones — for wanting to prepare your meal in a slow cooker, you do have
options that will make your meal safe to consume. So how can you safely use beans in a slow
cooker? If you have lots of other kitchen tasks to accomplish or you want to throw
ingredients in your slow cooker in order to come home to a perfectly — and safely — cooked
dinner, your meal can still contain beans, as long as you handle them properly.
One option is to use canned beans, which have been cooked prior to canning.
Another option is to cook the dried beans before adding them to your recipe,
so you're certain they're safe. Slow cookers on the high setting
typically get to about 300 degrees, which might cause you to assume it's safe to cook
raw beans in your slow cooker if you use the high setting. Food Safety News, however, doesn't
recommend this practice. Why? Studies of slow cooker casseroles demonstrated that the internal
temperature didn't typically exceed 167 degrees, which doesn't achieve the 212 degrees the USDA
recommends as safe for ensuring the lectins in raw beans are neutralized. In order to ensure
your beans are safe for use in your slow cooker, it's best to either cook them
ahead of time or buy canned.
